Parents under the auspices of the National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) have called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities to see Federal Government’s extension of the deadline for members to resume duties as a sign of goodwill.
The north central coordinator of NAPTAN, Alhaji Danladi Aliyu said the decision by the federal government to extend the December 4 deadline to December 9 for the striking lecturers to resume was a sign that government was committed to resolving the crisis.
He said what President Goodluck Jonathan had done so far in implementing most of the agreements was commendable and pleaded with ASUU to soft pedal in the interest of the future of Nigerian children and national development.
“I am pleading with both parties not to see this issue as a war that must be won or lost as both are working in the interest of moving the Nigerian nation forward.
“ASUU should use this deadline extension to resume duties, while we also urge the Federal Government not to come down hard on them as we believe both have the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians at heart,” he stated.
The coordinator who said parents were tired of seeing their children idling about at home, called for the establishment of a commission that would identify and tackle problems in the sector as they occur without getting to the level of disrupting school calendar.
Aliyu condoled ASUU on the death of Prof. Festus Iyayi and thanked the Federal Government for showing such respect for the union’s fallen comrade.
In a related development, the chairman of the University of Abuja branch of ASUU, Dr. Clement Chup told NAN that the deadline extension was laughable.
“When they gave the deadline I laughed, and when they announced the extension, I still dey laugh. It is an empty threat and cannot be effective,” Chup said.
It can be recalled that barely 24 hours to the expiration of the December 4 deadline, the executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) announced its extension to December 9 saying it was to give ASUU room to bury Iyayi.
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